Steam heating system with steam powered air circulation means



Nov. 5, 1940., E. s. CORNELL, JR

STEAM HEATING SYSTEM WITH STEAM POWERED AIR CIRCULATION MEANS Filed Sept. 3, 1938 INVENTOR cIwar .Cor eI I ,J: BY

ORNEY Patented Nov. 5, 1940 UNITED STATES STEAM HEATING SYSTEM WITH STEAM POWERED AIR CIRCULATION MEANS Edward S. Cornell, In, Larchmont, N. Y. Application September 3, 1938, Serial No. 228,277

4 Claims.

This invention relates'to heating systems, and particularly to heating systems employing the combination with a heat exchanger, of power driven fan means disposed suitably adjacent the 5 heat exchanger to enforce circulation of air over the thermal elements of the heat exchanger and to discharge warmed air into a room or other enclosure which it is desired to heat.

Elements of the heat exchange system may be as disclosed and claimed in my U. S. Patent No. 2,038,347, entitled Air conditioned heating and cooling system, granted April 21st, 1936. Such heating system embodies a boiler or other heat generating source, to which boiler is connected, by suitable piping, a plurality of heat exchange units comprising, inter alia, a heat exchanger, a casing for said heat exchanger, and fan means disposed within said casing and behind said heat exchanger to circulate air over the heating elements thereof into the enclosure to be heated. In my aforesaid U. S. patent, the fan means in cludes an air driven turbine actuated by a supply of air under pressure from a suitable air pressure generating apparatus.

It is an object of the present invention to attain the advantages of improved distribution of heat and enhanced thermal efiiciency which characterize such patented heating system, aforesaid, while eliminating the necessity for compressed air, electricity, or other external power supply for the fan means.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a heating system of the steam type, the heat exchangers of the system being provided with steam-driven power fan means for directing the flow of air across the elements of the heat exchangers. a

It is another object of the invention to provide a steam heating system comprising a steam boiler, heat exchanger means served by said boiler, an air fan for said heat exchanger means, and a turbine for drivingsaid fan, said turbine being connected into a steam branch line supplying the therewith associated heat exchanger.

Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heating system, as aforesaid, with means for utilizing the steam or vapor exhaust from said turbine for purposes of humidi- 50 fying the air in the rooms served by said heat exchangers, or to divert such exhaust steam for suitable disposal.

In this invention, the heating system may comprise a steam boiler or other steam generating 55 unit, a plurality of heat exchangers supplied with steam from said boiler by means of suitable piping, fan means operated by a, steam turbine connected into said steam piping means, control means for controlling the instants of steam generation or supply in maintaining a desired tem- 5 perature condition within a room or rooms served' by said heating system, and means associated with the exhaust from said steam turbine to afford suitable disposal of the exhaust steam there: from. 10

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a steam heating system pursuant to the present 15 invention;

Fig. 2 is a, detail sectional view of a steam turbine suitable for operation with the improved heating system; and

Fig. 3js a schematic view of a suitable exhaust 20 steam disposal valve.

Referringto Fig. 1, the rooms I!) of a building are arranged to be heated by heating system embodying a suitable steam boiler II, and one or more heat exchangers l2. Said heat exchangers 25 are connected to a steam main I3 through suitable branch piping [4. In the embodiment shown, the heating system is of the one pipe steam type, with the supply main l3 pitching downwardly" from a high point at the boiler, and 30 a suitable return main l6 pitching downwardly in the direction of the boiler, serving to return the condensation from the respective heat exchangers l2 to the boiler. Any known one pipe or two pipe steam system may be employed, with 35 any suitable type of air vent valvesor equivalent.

Conventional manual or automatic boiler water supply means may be provided.

The boiler is illustrated as of the oil-fuel combustion type, and the oil burning apparatus 40 thereof, in accordance with conventional practice, may be under the control of a room thermostat i I, suitably disposed within one ofthe rooms l0, and embodying a thermostatically operated make and break switch disposed in series electrical connection in a circuit comprising the power leads I 8, the thermostatic lead wires [9 and the lead wires 20. In addition, the oil bumer control circuit may include a conventional pressure regulating means 2 I, also embodying an electrical make and break switch disposed in series connection in the above stated electrical circuit.

The thermal units I2 may be similar to those disclosed in my aforementioned U. S. Patent No.

2,038,847. Elements of the thermal unit include a casing 22, within. which casing a suitable heat exchange unit 23 is arranged in a predetermined spaced relationship to the walls, and rear side of the casing. Said thermal unit also includes a power driven fan 24, suitably disposed within said casing intermediate the heat exchange unit 23 and the rear wall of the casing. Operation of the fan, as presently described, blows air through the heat exchange unit 23 to abstract heat therefrom, and discharges the .warmed air into the room It. Desirably, the marginal walls, 1. e., the top, bottom, and side walls, of the casing 22, as well as the real-wall, are substantially imperforate, the air discharged by the fan being drawn inwardly from the room around marginal spaces 25 between the heat exchange unit 23 and the marginal walls of the said casing, access to said marginal spaces being through any suitable number of openings formed in the grilled front casing wall 26.

The power source for the said fans 24 may be a suitable steam turbine 30, see Fig. 2, comprising a pressure tight housing 3|, a rotor 32 suitably mounted within said housing, a steam nozzle 33, and a downwardly pitched steam and condensation discharge port'34. In Fig. 2, representing the steam turbine in operative position, the inclination of the inlet port 33 and the outlet connection 34 is exaggerated; only such inclination as will provide for the drainage of condensation from the turbine casing into the discharge port 34, is required.

Desirably, the fan 24 is mounted directly on a suitable extension of the shaft 320 of the rotor 32.

The steam for operating the said turbines is derived from the common steam source II, desirably by means of an individual branch connection 35 made with each of the branch risers I4. A suitable valve 38 is interposed in such branch line 35 anterior to the turbine 30; such valve affords a positive method of regulating the speed of rotation of the fans 24, and consequent thermal output of each radiator l2. The volume of steam required by each turbine 30 is very small, and the disposition of condensation from the turbine casing through discharge port 34 permits the use of small diameter tubing for the branch connection 35.

As shown in Fig. 1, a preferred method of connecting said branch 36 to the respective risers I4 is by a T connection placed within the casing 22 and adjacent the lower steam header 23a of the heat exchanger 23.

The'turbine discharge port 34 feeds into a suitable steam and condensation discharge line 31, the discharge line from each turbine connecting into a suitable common discharge main 38. Such discharge main may be open-ended, and the water of condensation therefrom be disposed of in any desired manner.

The steam discharge from each steam turbine 30 may be disposed of, as above, or utilized for adding humidity to the air content of the respective rooms I 0, at the election of the operator of the system. To this end, there is provided a suitable two-way discharge valve 40, desirably externally controllable, as shown in Fig. 1. One discharge port 4! of the said valve 40, see Fig. 3, provides for exhaust of steam through a suitable tube 42, desirably terminating within one of said marglnal space 25 suitably adjacent the fan 24 as shown in Fig. 1; the second discharge port, 43, communicates directly with the conden at n inova'l line 31. f The? operator, by rotating the valve body counterclockwise of Fig. 3, may discharge all of the exhaust steam from the turbine into. the line 31 in the' event that the relative humidity of the room is as desired. It is advantageous to provide a suitable drip, as 44, to aiford removal of water of condensation from the turbine directly into the line 31, when the valve 40 is in its Fig. 3 position.

The valve 40 may be of an electro-magnetic type, and under control of a suitable hygrostat disposed in one or all of the rooms l0.

In the present invention, the respective heat exchange units may be of equal maximum heat output rating. For example, the rating may be the equivalent of 50 square feet of steam radiation. In such installations where less than 50 square feet of radiation are required for satisfactorily heating the enclosure, the heat output of the unit may be lessened by suitably throttling down the steam turbine, with consequent reduction in velocity of operation of the fan, and con sequent reduction in the rate of condensation of steam within the heat exchange unit. For installations in which more than 50 square feet of radiation are required for adequate heating, any required number of units may be associated, and the control valves of each, suitably adjusted.

With suitable fan and turbine means, the steam pressure necessary for satisfactory operation of the turbine may be of the order of one-quarter to one-half pound per square inch, this pressure being gage pressure. Such pressures are within the pressures on which the average well designed steam heating system operates successfully. With suitable boiler and fuel burning capacity, such pressures are quickly attained, and the discharge of heat into the rooms occurs very quickly after the thermostat l'l has initiated the combus tion of fuel at the boiler I I.

It will be obvious that the steam turbine 30 does not begin operation until steam is available at the heating units i2; there is thus no appreciable period when the operation of the fan 24 is directing a blast of air over cold" heat exchanger sections.

Upon the shutting off of the oil burner, when the thermostat I! has attained its maximal setting, the rapid drop in pressure halts fan operation and steam flow to the heating units I2. The "over run of room temperatures characterizing steam systems employing conventional convector-type heating units is thus minimized.

Suitable mufller means may be employed with the steam discharge tube 42 toquiet the sound of steam discharging therefrom.

Whereas I have described my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A heating system comprising a heat exchanger, a steam-driven fan disposed in operative relation thereto, means for generating steam under pressure, means for supplying said generated steam to said heat exchanger and said fan driving means, and means operable to conduct exhaust steam from said fan driving means to a point adjacent the fan thereof or to conduct such exhaust steam or the condensation thereof to a central point of disposal.

2. A heating system comprising a heat exchanger, a steam-driven fan disposed in operative relation thereto, means for generating steam under pressure, means for supplying said generated steam to said heat exchanger and said fan driving means, exhaust piping means associated with steam driven fan and valve means in said exhaust piping means operable to direct exhaust steam from said fan driving means to a point adjacent the fan thereof or to direct such exhaust steam or the condensation thereof to a central point of disposal.

3. A heating system comprising a heat exchanger, a steam-driven fan disposed in operative relation therto and arranged to discharge air over said heat exchanger, means for generating steam under pressure, means for substantially concurrently supplying said generated steam to said heat exchanger and to said fan driving means, means for conducting exhaust vapor from said fan driving means to a point of disposal remote from said fan, and means associated with said exhaust disposal means for increasing the humidity of the air discharged by said fan.

4. A heating ,system comprising a heat exchanger, a steam-driven fan disposed in operative relation thereto and arranged to discharge air over said heat exchanger, means for generating steam under pressure, means for substantially concurrently supplying said generated steam to said heat exchanger and to said fan driving means, means for conducting exhaust vapor from said fan driving means to a point of disposal remote from said fan, and means associated with said exhaust disposal means for increasing the humidity of the air discharged by said fan, said means comprising a two-way valve arranged to conduct said exhaust vapor from said fan driving means to said disposal means or to divert said exhaust vapor from said disposal means and release it at a point adjacent said fan means.

EDWARD S. CORNELL, JR. 

